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- Title
Electronic medical record systems are associated with appropriate placement of HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy in rural health facilities in Kenya: a retrospective pre-post study.
- Authors
Oluoch, Tom; Katana, Abraham; Ssempijja, Victor; Kwaro, Daniel; Langat, Patrick; Kimanga, Davies; Okeyo, Nicky; Abu-Hanna, Ameen; de Keizer, Nicolette
- Abstract
Background and objective There is little evidence that electronic medical record (EMR) use is associated with better compliance with clinical guidelines on initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) among ART-eligible HIV patients. We assessed the effect of transitioning from paper-based to an EMR-based system on appropriate placement on ART among eligible patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective, pre-post EMR study among patients enrolled in HIV care and eligible for ART at 17 rural Kenyan clinics and compared the: (1) proportion of patients eligible for ART based on CD4 count or WHO staging who initiate therapy; (2) time from eligibility for ART to ART initiation; (3) time from ART initiation to first CD4 test. Results 7298 patients were eligible for ART; 54.8% (n=3998) were enrolled in HIV care using a paper-based system while 45.2% (n=3300) were enrolled after the implementation of the EMR. EMR was independently associated with a 22% increase in the odds of initiating ART among eligible patients (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.22, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.33). The proportion of ART-eligible patients not receiving ART was 20.3% and 15.1% for paper and EMR, respectively (χ² =33.5, p<0.01). Median time from ART eligibility to ART initiation was 29.1 days (IQR: 14.1-62.1) for paper compared to 27 days (IQR: 12.9-50.1) for EMR. Conclusions EMRs can improve quality of HIV care through appropriate placement of ART-eligible patients on treatment in resource limited settings. However, other non-EMR factors influence timely initiation of ART.
- Subjects
MEDICAL care of HIV-positive persons; MEDICAL needs assessment; ELECTRONIC health records; MEDICAL decision making; HEALTH planning; MEDICAL informatics; ANTIRETROVIRAL agents
- Publication
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2014, Vol 21, Issue 6, p1009
- ISSN
1067-5027
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1136/amiajnl-2013-002447